The Washington critic., 1887-11-11
THE VISITORS GUIDE.
Objects Of Interest in and About tho
National Capital.
THE GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS.
Parks, Squares, Statues, Gardens and
Other Points of Attraction.
THE WAY TO REACH THEM.

Washington has already become the
most attractive city of the country. As
the Capital Of the Nation II presents
more objects of interest to the visitor
than any other on the continent, and q
brief directory Of its prominent points
will be Of service to the vast number of
persons who annually resort to the po-
litical metropolis. For II Is estimated
that over three hundred thousand
strangers pay visit every year to this
city to behold the varied objects of In.
tcrest which 40 thickly stud the his
toric "Ten Miles Square"
The System Of Numbering Houses.
Numbers are displayed over the entrances to
oil houses. and the decimal system, as
adopted In Philadelphia, Is used-one hun
dred numbers being allotted to each square
or block-coinmencing at First street west,
running west, First street east, running
east, A street north, running north and A
street south, running south. The. odd num-
bers are always on the right.hand side go
Ing from the Capitol, and The even numbers
on tho left.hand side. The city Is divided
Into four quarters or sections, northeast and
northwest, southeast and southwest, tho
streets being designated accordingly; those
running north and south numerically, and
those running east and west by the letters
of the alphabet, the dividing lines being
on line due north aud south from the Cap.
itol and East Capitol street, and q contlnua-
tion OIL the same west of the Capitol run
ming due east and west.
The Capitol.
This great building is tho central point OF tho
original District, and Is the largest edihco
in the country. Its centre marks tho Nc
ridian OF Washington. The middle portion,
first built. II was partially destroyed by tho
British In 1874, but was completely restored
by 1sg7. 1t incloses the "crypt'-where tho
remains of Washington We're intended to be
placed, the Library, tho Rotunda, the old
Representatives Hall, now the Gallery OF
Statuary, and the old Senate Chamber, now
the supreme Courtroom. The old Supreme
Courtroom, In the first story, Is now occu.
pied by the Law Branch of the Library.
The cornerstone Of the Capitol extension
the north and south wings-was laid July 4,
1851. Daniel Webster delivering the oratlon
of the occasion from the balcony of the
Library. The south wing contains the
House OF Representatives. and the north
wing the Senate Chamber. The rotunda Is dis.
tinguished for Its historic paintings, for the
famous bronze doors. with their bas
reliefs. and for Brumldis irescoings. In the
Hall of Statuary are the natural pictures of
Potomac marble, representing faces OF GER
freak Of nature. From the little rotunda,
Immediately north of the great rotunda, the
staircase to the top Of the dome begins Its
winding way. From the top of the dome, or
as far as the visitor can ascend, the view
The Capitol grounds, which formerly were
homely and formal in appearance, have
been transformed into beautiful
fuI. The east base of the Capitol is 500
feet above ordinary low tide In the Potomac.
The total height from east base to the top
of the temple covering the dome Is 2SS feet;
the statue OF the Goddess Of Liberty, 1915
feet, making the total height to the crest of
the statue 3O5l6 feet. This crest is 1860 feet
and sa7 feet above oS low Tide n in the The Potomac
or 24S feet lower than the apex of the Wash
ington Monument, which is Immediately
west. The building Is 75i feet long By BE-
and largest public building in tho world,
and in many respects the costliest and
handsomest. II is moreover the growth Of
less than century--a fact which adds to
its beauty and Interest. The original Capt.
tol, or centre building, Is an imitation,
though not , a slavish h, one, Of tho 81, Maison
Eortico at night, when the lamps are III In
illuminate the darkness is one OF the most
beautiful and picturesque In the world and
is well worth journey Of a thousand miles
The white House.
From the west balcony OF the Capitol, looking
down Pennsylvania avenue, the white
House Is seen rearing its snowy-hued walls
above the dense mass of foliage that en-
bowersit, Ikea gigantic Gala lily springng
il not for the partly Intervening Treasury y
building the view Of the White House from
the Capitol would be full and complete. Tho
White House is the center Of "up.town,n as
the Capitol ~ the center of Down town"
1t Is beautifully located, the view from the
south windows covering the whole southern
front ofthe city, as the view from the north
up Sixteenth street west exhibits the best
part of the Northwest section to the gaze.
The White House is copy of the palace of
the Duke of Leinster at Dublin. with the
addition of large porch on the north front,
which was added during Andrew Jackson's
administration. The reservation In which
1t stands embraces nearly 81 acres. The
main entrance is on the north, reached by
the Pennsylvania avenue cars. .. 1t is two
stories high on the north, is built Of white
free-stone, 40 feet long by So wide. II con-
tains on the first floor the famous Green,
Red, Blue and East rooms, the State Dining
Room and the great conservatories. The
Blue Room is the Presidents official recep-
tionroom and the drawngroo of the ladies
of bis family. The East ROOM originally
designed for banquet hall and so used as
late as 1887, and in the latter part Of the
century used as q drying-room for clothes
most noted room in the building. 1t Is g
feet high, 80 feet long and 40 wide. II Is
open to visitors every day except sundays.
Upstairs are the Cabinet room, the private
offices, the Presidents office, the library
and the family apartments. All these
rooms except the latter are open to visitors,
by special permission, at suitable hours.
Lafayette square.
Due north from the White House IS Lafayette
Square, the first public reservation In Wash
ington that was improved. IL contains the
equestrian statue Of Andrew jackson, by
Clark Mills. Many of ITS trees are old forest
nonarchs, hundreds of years old. 1t Is in
part Il specimen of the old formal landscape
gardening so fashionable In England two
hundred years ago, style that was i'm
was, one hundred years ago, part If grave
yard that enclosed the square north, on
which ST. Johns Church Is. built, and the
aat tt,l,ip arn oft tod In 4.
tcrney Generals office formerly the Freed
mans Bank), the Surgeon'Generals office
merly used as the United States Bank,
Commodore Decaturs house, corner FIJI
teenth ard a'half and Il streets, and the
old Club House, near which Philip Barton
Key was killed by Daniel 4. sickles, Mem
ber of Congress from New York. The last
bodies from this graveyard were not re-
moved until 1910.
St. Johns T.. II. Church.
st. Johns r. E, Church, which has been often
called the State Church because more rTesi-
dents have worshlpped there. than at any
other, stands at tho corner of II and SIX
teenth streets. II was built In 1916 and en-
larged in 1850. In It have worshipped Pres
idents Madison, Monroe, john Quincy
Adams (though the latter was Il Congrcga'
tonallsU Martin Van Buren, though hc be-
longed to the Dutch Reformed Church, llar-
rlson, Tyler, Polk, Taylor, Fillmore (though
the latter was & Unitarian(, Fierce In BnGh'
johnson and Grant have also attended Di-
vine services here although not steadily, Its
interior reminds one very forclbly OF the
old, dim English country Episcopal churches.
The Treasury Department..
The Treasury Department is east OF tho White
House and extends tho whole length of tho
front between Pennsylvania and New YORK
avenues. II Is be2 feet long. by 800 feet Wide.
The central east portion y built of freestone,
rebuilt in 1864, while the other parts were
commenced In 1855 and built OF granite.